Windows 10 & Windows 8

First Look at Project Spartan’s Three Main Feature

As previously stated, build 10049 contains the latest browser from Microsoft, they call it “Project Spartan“. Of course this won’t be the final name when Microsoft officially deliver the new browser along with Windows 10.

The first thing you will notice is the new icon on the bottom of your taskbar. A new blue globe icon is temporary the home of the new code-name Project Spartan browser. You will also notice the new browser are framed in the all new “Windows app” container rather than the traditional application. It has a Windows 10 app touch and feel out of the box.

It has three main features you can currently go try it out in Project Spartan

First and foremost is the integration with Cortana, currently you can select any word or sentence and right click > Ask Cortana. Cortana, is Microsoft’s new personal assistance, is now integrated in the new browser.

You can use it to help you defined word, very similar to most other browser’s add-on for dictionary look-up. As of now, it will find the word you have selected and show you from the right hand side slide in menu.

Second, reading mode. Project Spartan is smart enough to figure out that you are currently browsing an article like this one. When it detects this, the little book icon will appear to be clickable. It will turn your browser into a reading mode by removing all the extra components other than the main article.

Lastly, for those of you who have touch devices, especially Surface tablets, Project Spartan comes with native support for making notes on any web page. You can make highlights, drawing shapes and take screenshot all right inside the new Project Spartan browser.

This is arguably the most exciting features for the new browser. Keep in mind that this is the first look of the new browser, we have yet to know what it will be named at the end. Lots of work will be done in the foreseeable future. As you might know, IE has been gaining bad reputations ever since mid 2000s, this is Microsoft’s chance to re-brand its browser, engineering it from ground up is definitely the way to go.